1st Edition

Paediatric Rehabilitation Engineering From Disability to Possibility

Edited By Tom Chau, Jillian Fairley Copyright 2011
    368 Pages 91 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    358 Pages 91 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Innovations in paediatric rehabilitation engineering can serve as a springboard to education, psychosocial, social, physical and cognitive development for children and youth with disabilities. Instead of providing an overview of rehabilitation engineering, Paediatric Rehabilitation Engineering focuses on the uniqueness of the paediatric subspecialty via an international sampling of methods and techniques currently in use or in development.

    The book is divided into three complementary components. The first group of chapters is broadly concerned with connecting individuals to their environment and to the people around them. The second group revolves around paediatric technologies that compensate for compromised or missing function. The final group of chapters is about machines and environments which provide stimulating and interactive platforms for therapy and research.

    Topics include:

    • Microswitch-based occupational, recreational and rehabilitation programs
    • Emerging access technologies, like infrared thermal imaging and vocal cord vibration detection
    • Communication technologies to enable children to communicate in a variety of everyday environments
    • Accessible graphical user and Web-based interface design
    • Postural and upper and lower extremity compensation, such as customized chairs and prostheses
    • Global efforts in the area of robotics for autism research
    • Virtual reality and other interfaces to mitigate motor, communication, and physical control difficulties

    Paedriatric rehabilitation engineering offers endless possibilities for future research with implications across the fields of physical and cognitive rehabilitation, medicine, computer science, and policy. It is the harmonizing of the expertise and energies of rehabilitation professionals such as teachers, families, paediatric rehabilitation engineers, and other stakeholders that will ensure that children are optimally supported as they embark on their journey from disability to possibility.

    Introduction, T. Chau and J. Fairley
    Microswitch-Based Programs for Children and Youth with Multiple Disabilities: An Overview of the Responses and Technology Adopted, G.E. Lancioni, N.N. Singh, M.F. O’Reilly, J. Sigafoos, D. Oliva, and G. Basili
    Access Technologies for Children and Youth with Severe Motor Disabilities, N. Alves, S. Blain, T. Falk, B. Leung, N. Memarian and T. Chau
    Advances in Technologies to Support Children with Communication Needs, G. Teachman and C. Tam
    Optimal Web-Based Survey Design in the Youth Population: Enabling Access for All, T.C. Davies and N.S. Stott
    Paediatric Seating, E. Tam
    Upper and Lower Extremity Prosthetics for Children and Youth, E. Biddiss and J. Andrysek
    Innovations in Robotic Devices for Autism, T. Salter and F. Michaud
    Virtual Reality Therapy in Paediatric Rehabilitation, P.L. (Tamar) Weiss, N. Weintraub, and Y. Laufer
    Index

    Biography

    Tom Chau is a Senior Scientist and Theme Leader of Innovation and Development at the Bloorview Research Institute, the largest pediatric academic rehabilitation hospital in Canada.